


Betrayals, Truths and Family

by Maraudering_Paige



Series: Betrayals, Truths and Family [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Arthur Weasley Bashing, Creature Inheritance, Dumbledore Bashing, Evil Dumbledore, F/F, F/M, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Good Malfoy Family, Good Severus Snape, Good Tom Riddle, Hermione Granger Bashing, M/M, Molly Weasley Bashing, Mpreg, Pre-Slash, Ron Weasley Bashing, Severitus, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-03-28 15:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13907169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maraudering_Paige/pseuds/Maraudering_Paige
Summary: Severus Snape receives a time-delayed letter from his lost love Lily Evans which gives him his true memories back and reveals that Harry Potter is his son. When Severus goes to the Dursleys to retrieve his son he finds him bloodied and bruised in Dudley's second bedroom. He takes him home, heals him, and does what he must to protect his son from the man who split their family apart, Albus Dumbledore, who is the real Dark Lord. Severus helps Harry through the trials of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, helps those that Dumbledore is controlling through mind magics, and prepares Harry for his upcoming creature inheritance. But will everything go smoothly? Will Dumbledore realise too soon that they know the truth? Will Harry be okay knowing that his friends weren't his friends?Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.





	1. A Father Saves His Son

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is also on my Fanfiction.net account of PMakepeace98. I don't own Harry Potter, unfortunately. Will have selective Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing, selective Order Member bashing, Hermione bashing, Severitus, Tom Riddle as Severus' adoptive father, Drarry eventually, and more. Don't like, don't read. This is the first in a series of fanfictions.

Severus Snape sat in his favourite armchair in his house at Spinner’s End, nursing a small glass of Firewhiskey as he read the potions journal in his hand, the only light in the room being the flickering fire in the fireplace in front of the armchair, and the light of a lamp that was sitting on the small coffee table next to the armchair. It was late in the evening of the 30th of July 1994, soon it would be morning. He did not know why he could not sleep this night, as he sat there wearing the black Muggle jeans and dark grey t-shirt he had been wearing all day. He wasn’t tired, he didn’t know why, but he figured he would only get changed into pyjamas if he felt like he could sleep. It was as if something was keeping him awake on purpose. He just didn’t know what.   
As the clock struck midnight a white light lit up the coffee table next to his armchair and he looked at it, both confused and alarmed. But soon the white light was gone, and a cream coloured envelope held close by a deep green wax stood in its place. He looked at it sceptically, putting down the journal and glass before picking up his wand from the table, next to the letter, and scanning it to see if there were any spells or hexes on it. It was clear of all things he scanned it for, so he put down his wand and picked up the letter, hesitantly. He opened it and pulled out the letter made of three pieces of parchment inside. Unfolding it he recognised the writing on the page almost instantly.  
It was Lily’s. Her beautiful, elegant writing on the page.   
But she was dead.   
She had been for thirteen years, roughly.   
So, how had she sent him a letter?  
Part of him knew he would find the answers he needed in the letter, so he started reading it. Not knowing that it would change his life.

My dearest Sev,   
I know you’re probably wondering a lot of things right now; including how on earth you are reading a letter written by me when I’m supposed to be dead, and why it is you’re not tired. Now you’re probably wondering how I know what you’re thinking. I knew I was going to die alongside James, hoping that my son would survive with the protection I cast on him, and I knew my wishes on how to have him raised, in the event of my death, would not be met, despite me leaving a will. So, I am writing this letter to explain some things to you, things that you need to know, as I know that you would not be told the truth. As to why you’re not tired right now; the last time I saw you in person I put a delayed spell on you to make sure you would not be tired at this time, on the 31st of July 1994, my son’s fourteenth birthday. I put the spell on you, so you would read this and know the truth as soon as possible, then you could save him. I could have made sure this letter reached you before now, but there are people that cannot know that you know what I am about to reveal to you in this letter, at least, not right away. In order for them to not know, I had to give you a few years to establish how you are going to treat Harry in public, at least, before you are allowed to reveal the truth, because throughout this year you are going to have to treat him the same in the public eye, despite what I am going to tell you.  
I know you’re probably really confused right now, Sev. Confused as to why I am writing to you about my son. But before you read on I need you to close your eyes, and while holding onto this letter with both hands you need to say revelare verum memorias out loud. When you have done this, and your true memories are returned to you, the rest of the letter will reveal itself and you can read on.

There was no more written, and Severus was confused. But he knew Lily would never lie to him, so if she had told him to do this then it was genuine, and he should do it.   
He held the parchment rather tightly in his hands, closed his eyes and took a deep breath before speaking the three Latin words Lily told him to say.   
Instantly his mind was filled with images, his true memories. His and Lily’s wedding day when they had only been out of Hogwarts for a month. Their friendship, from the beginning to the day she left him, after obliviating him with a look in her eyes that could only mean that she was being controlled. The day they took the Dark Mark and started properly working for his adoptive father who he only now remembered being as such. He also now remembered that his adoptive father isn’t the Dark Lord people thought him to be.  
That was Albus Dumbledore.   
He remembered everything.   
He opened his eyes, taking deep breaths to control the anger and confusion crawling throughout him. He looked down at the letter in his hands and saw that more writing had appeared. So, he started to read it.

Sev, before I start telling you everything, I am so sorry. I didn’t want to leave you. I didn’t want to obliviate you, Dumbledore was controlling me, but I managed to break through the controls the day I gave birth to Harry, the pain, both the physical and emotional pain, broke it, also the fact that I had just given birth and was no longer pregnant. The pregnancy weakened my defences and I wasn’t able to break through the curse. I would have left James and gone straight back to you, but I couldn’t because I knew you didn’t have your true memories, and I knew Dumbledore would do something worse if I did. I love you, Sev. Always.   
I had to stay with James to protect my son. Our son. Sev, Harry is your son. Our son. He’s not James’. The day I obliviated you, that was the day I found out I was pregnant. I was so happy, and I knew you would be as well. I was coming home to tell you, from St Mungo’s. But Dumbledore captured me and took me to his office. I tried to escape, really, I did. But I couldn’t. When I refused to co-operate, he put me under the imperius curse, and since I was pregnant I couldn’t fight it like I usually could, not until I gave birth, but by then I knew I couldn’t show him that it had broken, he would have made it so much worse. He got me to obliviate you and change your old memories into ones that you wouldn’t be happy with. Ones that would hurt you. I am so sorry.   
Anyway, when the curse was gone my seer powers came back, as the imperius curse blocked my powers. When I got them back I saw a lot of what would happen. That was how I knew I was going to die, Dumbledore did it, not your father. But I saw past that as well. I knew I had to wait until this time to give you the letter because this would be the year Harry, our son, is in the most danger. You know that Hogwarts is hosting the Tri-wizard tournament. Dumbledore is going to make it, so Harry is a fourth champion so that he will die in one of the tasks. I need you to help him. I need you to help our son, make sure he doesn’t die. I also saw how to bring your father back from what Dumbledore did to him. He took parts of his soul and left them in the objects I have listed. He destroyed your fathers’ soul so much that he turned into a spirit, but I saw how to help him. The information is in the other page, but finish reading this first.   
I am writing this on Harry’s first birthday, James and Sirius are off doing something for Dumbledore’s Order, Remus is here, though. Remus and Sirius are being controlled by Dumbledore as well, you need to help them, Sev. They are on our side. Use the counter for the imperius on them, the one we invented together. Harry is having a nap right now, lying on Remus’ chest cuddling his plush wolf to his side. Harry has a glamour on him, to make him look like James with my eyes. That is why he doesn’t look like you, it will break when he gets his creature inheritance. Yes, he is a Dark Veela like you, he will be a submissive, though. And, yes, I know who his mate is, but I’m not going to tell you. I think you will like who it is, though.   
I would have made sure this letter reached you sooner than this if I could have Sev, believe me, I would have. I know how much you wanted a family, wanted children. But it would have been suspicious before now if you were to take him, it still will be, but now is the time Harry needs you the most. And I needed you to show people that you didn’t like him, so that Dumbledore wouldn’t be suspicious. That is how you need to act towards him, in public, all this year. When he gains his creature inheritance, then you can tell everyone. But right now, I need you to save our son from my sister’s house. That is where Dumbledore has been keeping him all these years. He hasn’t been spoiled or loved. He’s being abused, Sev. I did write a will, stating who Harry could go to after I die, but Dumbledore ignored it. But this summer it is worse, he is in a bad shape right now, a very bad shape. I need you to save him and heal him as soon as you are done reading this. Her address is 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Save him.   
That is the truth about Harry out of the way. Now, Dumbledore has all of the staff at Hogwarts, except you, under the imperius curse so they only teach what he wants students to learn and he can control them. You need to save them. They know how bad he really is, they know more than I do, they try to fight it, but they can’t. If they manage to break it, he puts it on them twice as strong as the last. There is a recipe for a potion that will save them from ever being put under that spell again, give it to Remus and Sirius too, after using the counter spell on them all, the potion is only to make sure they won’t ever be under the effects of the spell again, you should probably give yourself, everyone on our side, and our son some too. You can’t trust anyone in the Order who isn’t an Auror, Remus, Sirius, or a staff member at Hogwarts. Moody, Shacklebolt, and Nymphadora Tonks (a metamorphmagus, who doesn’t like her first name, and who has joined the Order which is still running just in case your father comes back) are all under the imperius curse. Save them and give them the potion, too.   
Harry can’t trust his friends. When I say that I mean Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Percy Weasley, Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, the Patil twins, Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Molly and Arthur Weasley. The other Weasley’s are true friends to Harry and will leave their family when they find out everything they are doing to Harry, this includes stealing money from the trust vault I made for Harry to get him through his Hogwarts years, as well as the Potter vaults, trying to get Harry to fall in love with Ginny, marry her and get her pregnant before killing him, feeding him a number of potions which you have all the antidotes to but you will need to run a full diagnostic to see which ones you will need, and more. Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas are true friends to Harry, and Harry will make friends with others as well, from all of the houses.   
Sev, that is all I can tell you now. Save our son, look after him, love him. I am sorry for everything that has happened. I am sorry I couldn’t tell you the truth sooner. Bring your father back. Prepare Harry for his inheritance, and for the tournament, and everything else. I will be sending you another letter on his next birthday to explain some more. Harry needs to try and remain friends with Ron, Hermione and the others, only for another year, though. He just has to pretend. But he can become friends with others, in secret. Tell him he can use the Room of Requirement for meeting his true friends, tell him where it is. Tell him to form an organisation, one like your fathers’ group, filled with these friends, the ones loyal to him. This way you have more people working with you and your father within the school. Help the teachers, the Aurors, Remus and Sirius. Help our son, love our son.   
I love you Sev.   
Always.   
Lily. 

Severus stared at the parchment in shock. He had a son. A son who he had been horrible to for the last three years. A son that was being abused.   
That thought was enough to make Severus jump out of the chair and apparate to the address Lily wrote in the letter, his wand in his hand. He soon stood outside the house, all the lights were off inside, so he could tell they were all asleep.   
He knocked on the door of the house rather loudly, not caring if he annoyed them since they had been hurting his son. The protective instincts a Dark Veela has for their children were filling him with rage at the thought of his son being hurt.   
He saw a light turn on inside the house and heard someone stomping down the stairs, complaining the whole way about someone knocking on the door at this time of the night. He could have let himself in, but he wanted to torment the people that had hurt his son. He knew Lily was a seer, so he knew what she saw was correct.   
The door was wrenched open by a man who was so overweight he looked like a walrus.   
“What the hell do you think you’re doing knocking on our door at this time of the night?” The man almost yelled.   
Severus growled at him. “Where is my son?”   
“I don’t know who your son is, but he is not here.” The man spat out.   
“So, Harry Potter is not your nephew who happens to be living under this roof?”  
“You’re one of those… freaks? How dare you come here?”  
“I dare because my son is here, and I know what you’ve been doing to him. So, I suggest you let me in before your neighbours find out exactly what has been going on inside this home and I do something I won’t regret.” Severus snarled, pointing his wand at the man.   
“Vernon, who is it?” Petunia asked, wandering down the stairs. She paused when she saw Severus at the door with a wand pointed at her husband. “YOU!” She exclaimed.   
“Hello Tuney, have you missed me?” Severus greeted sarcastically, causing Petunia to sputter from shock and fear. Vernon looked shocked that his wife knew a wizard. “Now will you let me in and tell me where my son is?”  
“He isn’t here, he is with friends.” Vernon lied.   
“Don’t lie! Now tell me where he really is, and I will leave with him, you won’t ever have to see him again. In fact, when my father finds out how you have been treating his grandson I am sure he will delight in helping me punish you both, and your son, for everything you have done to my son, maybe I will get you both sent to Azkaban after we have had our fun torturing you. In fact, I am sure there will be a lot of other witches and wizards who would delight in joining us on the task as well. Tell me where he is!” Severus said, getting ready to cast some kind of hex on the man in front of him.   
“He’s u-upstairs.” Vernon stuttered, scared at the thought of what angry wizards could do to him and his normal family.   
Severus pushed past the man and made his way up the stairs, sneering at Petunia as he passed her. He knew that the door with seven locks on was the one his son was in, it had to be, they wouldn’t lock their own son in a room. His heightened senses, due to him being a Veela, also told him that his son was in there, he could smell his son, and his blood, sweat, vomit and urine. That just made him angrier.   
“Alohomora.” He whispered, pointing his wand at the door. The locks all unlocked, and he slowly opened the door, not wanting to scare his son. He turned the light on.  
The sight in the room made him angrier than anything he had ever seen before. His son was laying on his stomach, on the floor in the middle of the small room. He was lying in a pool of his own blood, sweat, vomit and urine. The smell was horrible. He noticed that the oversized t-shirt his son was wearing had rips in it and was soaked in blood. He saw that his son’s owl was locked in her cage, she was skinny, and her feathers weren’t the same brilliant white that they used to be. He fed her some water using the aguamenti spell before he unlocked her cage. She flew out, landing next to Harry, who was unconscious, and nipping his ear affectionately.   
“Go to Riddle Manor, we will meet you there.” Severus said as he opened the window for the bird. She flew to him, nipped his ear and left, soaring out of view.   
He rushed to his sons’ side and knelt next to him, running a hand through the black, messy hair causing his son to groan and open his eyes.   
When Harry saw Severus, he looked shocked.   
“P’fessor, what you doing here?” He groaned through the pain he was feeling.  
“I’m here to save you. I will explain more later, I promise. I need to pick you up, so I can take you home. It will hurt but I will be able to fix you up soon. Your owl has already left to where we are going to. I gave her some water, so she should be okay for a little while. I will feed her when she arrives at the Manor.”  
Harry, who was still shocked that his potions professor would actually save him, nodded once before groaning.  
Snape, as gently as he could, turned Harry over so that he was on his back. The movement caused Harry to cry out in pain as tears finally leaked from his eyes.   
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. You’ll be out of here soon and I will start fixing you up as soon as we get home. I promise.” Harry was shocked at the gentleness in Snape’s voice. “I’m going to pick you up now, Harry. It’s going to hurt but I promise you will be okay soon.”  
He picked Harry up, like he would a baby, as gently as he could. It caused Harry to cry out again, the sound of his son in pain broke his heart and increased the anger in him towards the Dursley’s. He was also shocked at how light his son was, at how little he weighed and how small he was in size. How had he never noticed these things?  
“It’s okay, Harry. It’s all going to be okay. Now, I’m going to apparate you to the Manor, okay? It may hurt but you have to stay as still as possible or it will cause even more injuries. You may feel sick afterwards, but I will get you an anti-nausea potion as soon as possible, okay?” Severus informed his son so that Harry knew what was going to happen.   
Harry nodded once, clinging to Snape’s top, feeling an odd sense of safety in the man’s arms. Harry closed his eyes and Severus apparated them to the entrance hall of Riddle Manor, knowing only him and his father would have been able to apparate inside of the home and that no one was there. No one had been there since ‘Voldemort’ died.  
Severus could tell that his son was feeling sick so he accioed an anti-nausea potion and fed it to his son.   
“Thanks.” Harry whispered as he felt the effects of the potion, his throat hoarse.  
Severus nodded and carried his son up the stairs, slow enough to not jostle him too much, but fast enough so he could help his son as soon as possible.   
“Why are you being so kind to me? You hate me?” Harry questioned quietly.   
Severus felt a pang of pain as he heard the question. “I’ll explain later, when you’re not in so much pain and I have had the chance to heal some of your injuries.”   
Harry just nodded his head once and fell asleep again. Severus carried him to the room that was next to the one that used to be his and Lily’s, wanting his son close by. He flicked his wand, causing the covers on the large bed to be drawn back and he gently laid Harry in the bed. He accioed his healing kit and got to work. The more he saw of his sons’ injuries the more he wanted to kill the Dursley’s. And Dumbledore for sending him there in the first place, as well as everything else he had done, including taking Lily away from him and then killing her.   
The diagnostic report that showed Harry’s full medical history, as well as who his parents are (Severus and Lily’s names came up in that section) made him want to murder the people that had hurt his son even more. He was severely underweight. Dehydrated. He had been whipped since he was three. He had suffered multiple broken bones, some of which hadn’t mended properly. They had tried to drown him multiple times. His illnesses had never been treated properly. He has had multiple concussions. He has been burnt multiple times. He had been… raped… multiple times since he was twelve. And that is all without the injuries he had sustained at Hogwarts. And that is without all of the compulsion potions, loyalty potions, intelligence hindering potions which meant he was only about half as intelligent as he was meant to be, magical core blocking potions which meant he only had 50% of the magical power he is meant to have at this stage of life, which would be due to rise when he receives his inheritance. If he was so powerful already with only 50% of his magic then his son was incredibly powerful, and he will be even more powerful this time next year. Thankfully Severus had the antidotes to each of the potions, even the magical core blocking one, and he administered them all. He was excited to see how powerful his son really was.   
It took all he had to not leave the Manor and go kill the muggles who had done this to his child. And Dumbledore. And the Weasley’s. And Granger. And whoever else had ever hurt him. He wished he could go back in time and stop Dumbledore cursing Lily, then they could have raised their son together. She wouldn’t have died. He would have known he was a father.   
When he was done, he conjured a comfortable, black, leather armchair next to the bed and sat on it, watching his son sleep and hoping that he would be okay. Hoping that they would be okay. Hoping that the people that hurt him would pay for what they did. And hoping that the world would be a better place to live in soon, and that the true Dark Lord would lose.


	2. A Son Finds Out the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry wakes up and finds out that he has been lied to all these years. How will he cope with that revelation?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes a lot of Severitus, with hints towards future MPreg.

Harry blinked his eyes a few times to adjust to the sunlight seeping into the room from the gap in the dark grey curtains. When he finally awoke, he looked around to find himself lying in a large, comfortable bed made of mahogany wood, with a soft mattress covered with a grey sheet. His head was on a deep green pillow and there was another green pillow next to his. He was covered in a deep green blanket that was thin so he wasn’t too warm in the summers’ heat. The furniture was mostly mahogany; the bookshelf which was empty, the wardrobe, the desk, the two bedside cabinets (one on either side of the bed) and the chest of drawers. The was a dark green, high-backed, leather chair by the desk, and a black-leather armchair next to his bed which Professor Snape was sleeping in. Harry was confused.

He tried to sit up but ended up falling back down, groaning in pain. This caused Snape to wake up and rush to Harry’s side. 

“Are you okay? Are you in pain?” Severus asked his son, worried. 

Harry just nodded, confused still. 

Severus helped Harry sit up, placing some pillows between his back and the wooden headboard of the bed to support him comfortably, before he took a pain-relieving potion out of his bag and uncorked it, helping his son to drink it. He smiled as Harry gave a sigh of relief a few seconds after drinking it. 

“Are you feeling better now? Is anything else bothering you?” Severus asked, concerned. 

“No, I’m fine. Thank you, sir. Where am I? Why am I here? Why did you save me?” Harry replied, confused.

“I think, before I answer any of your questions, I should show you something.” Severus said before wandlessly and wordlessly summoning Lily’s letter. It flew into his hands a few seconds later and he took a deep breath to calm himself before giving it to Harry, who looked confused before taking it, unfolding it and looking at it, reading it through. 

Harry gasped a few times in shock whilst reading. But by the end his eyes were filled with tears. 

“Is this real?” Harry asked, he never really trusted anything. 

“Yes. I have my memories back. Lily and I were married. Albus is the true Dark Lord. Voldemort is something made up by Albus, my father still goes by Tom Riddle. Lily was a seer, if she saw something, the thing she saw was always true. The Tri-wizard Tournament is happening this year at Hogwarts. I am a Dark Veela, you will become one next year, on your next birthday. You will be a submissive, I will tell you what that means later. If Lily saw that you couldn’t trust the people she listed then you can’t trust them, and I’m sorry your friends aren’t people you can trust. I will be able to save my father, and the teachers, Remus, Sirius, and the Aurors. I will tell you everything you need to know, well, everything that I know. If you want, you can ask me questions and I’ll answer them as best as I can.”

A tear slipped out of Harry’s eye as he nodded in response. 

“Do you want to ask me questions now? Or do you want something to eat first? I have given you some potions to help with the malnourishment and dehydration, but they will take a while to get you to a healthy weight, they work better with food. I can call a house elf to bring you something if you want.”

“Can I have some toast, please, and some pumpkin juice?” Harry pondered shyly, not knowing how his new-found father would react to him asking for food. 

“Of course. Pinky!” Severus called. 

A house elf with large blue eyes popped into the room looking happy that one of her masters had finally come home. 

“Master Severus, you came back! I am so happy to see you. Who is this?” Pinky asked excitedly. 

“This, Pinky, is my son, Harry. We will be living here from now on. I am happy to see you, too. Could you get us some breakfast please? Some toast with butter and jam on the side and a bowl of fruit each. I will have a cup of tea, how I usually take it, and Harry would like some pumpkin juice.”

“Of course, Master Severus. Your breakfast will be with you shortly.” She popped away again with a smile on her face. 

“Do you want to start with the questions now? Or do you want to wait until we’re done eating?” Severus asked his son kindly. 

“I, er… Why did you hate me? Do you still hate me?”

“No, Harry, I don’t hate you. And I never hated you, more the image of you. You see, James bullied me at school, that hasn’t changed. Although, when your mother was forced to change my memories she made it seem worse than it really was. He still bullied me, and quite harshly, too. But she made it seem like the pranks were worse than they were, and she added a few horrible ones. Of course, it’s not her fault, she was forced to do it. But you look so much like James that every time I looked at you I couldn’t help but see him and remember what I remembered him doing. I couldn’t see past that. And I’m sorry for how I have treated you in the past. I know you probably don’t trust me, but Harry, I love you, my son. And I will do everything I can to make it right, to get back at everyone that has hurt you, to prove that I love you and want you. I will do everything I can to help you, always. You are my life now, the only important thing there is. I will keep you safe, I will love you, I will look after you the way you should have been looked after all these years. I will always be here for you, Harry.” Severus said so sincerely that Harry started crying harder, knowing he wasn’t lying, knowing that somebody actually cared for him. 

Severus reached out, slowly, not wanting to scare his son, and he wrapped his arms around him, holding his son to his chest and running his fingers through the black, messy hair. 

Pinky popped in and left the tray of food and drink on the bed, smiling sadly at the scene, before popping away silently, not wanting to disturb the moment. 

“You’re the first person to ever tell me they love me, from what I remember anyway. You’re the first person to care about me.” Harry cried. 

“Oh, Harry, I’m not the only one who cares about you, and I am certainly not the only one who loves you. Four of the Weasley’s care about you and love you. You still have friends and you can make more. Remus and Sirius both love you and care for you, and I will save them from the Headmaster. The staff love and care for you, too, and I will save them as well. And when the time comes your mate will love you. My father will love you. My friends will love you. You aren’t alone, Harry. And you never will be. I promise. I love you, Harry.” Severus told his son sincerely as he held him close, wishing that he had been able to raise him, with Lily, and that none of what had happened in the last fourteen years had happened. That way his son, his family would have been happy. 

It took Harry about ten minutes to stop crying. When he did he pulled back and smiled at his father sadly. They started eating breakfast in silence, Harry trying to think about what he wanted to ask his father next, Severus watching in concern as his son was only able to eat half of a slice of toast, and a few bites of fruit. He did, however, drink all of his pumpkin juice. 

“What do you…?” Harry broke off. 

“What do I, what, Harry? You can ask me anything.” Severus encouraged gently. 

“What do you want me to call you?” Harry whispered, looking down at the tray in his lap. His father moved the tray and sat next to him on the bed, facing him. He gently placed a long finger under his sons’ chin and lifted his head slowly, trying not to scare him. 

“You are allowed to ask me questions, Harry. I’m not going to hurt you, ever. My Dark Veela wouldn’t allow me to hurt my child for starters, they are very protective of their young, but I wouldn’t hurt you even if I wasn’t a creature. I don’t condone hurting children. Yes, I may have to say mean things at school, but that is because of Dumbledore. I can’t make him suspicious of anything. I would never hurt a child physically, though, especially not you. As for the answer to your question; you may call me whatever you feel comfortable with calling me.”

“Don’t you want me to call you ‘dad’?” Harry wondered aloud. 

“I would love for you to call me ‘dad’, or ‘papa’, or ‘father’, or something like that. But I know that you have been through a lot and might not be ready for that yet, and I am okay with that. Of course, I hope that one day you will refer to me as a father figure, but even if you can’t bring yourself to call me any of those terms, I will always love you, and you being here, with me, will be enough for me. So, if you aren’t ready to call me any of those words then you may call me Severus, or Sev, which is what your mother used to call me. I don’t mind. I just want you to be comfortable, healthy and happy. Although, whilst in school, you will have to call me Professor Snape, or Sir, or Professor. However, you may come to see me in private, at any time you need me, and you can call me what you wish to then. Though, that should only be for this year, after you come into your inheritance your glamour will drop and people will be able to tell you are my son anyway, so then you can call me what you wish to around the school as well.”

“Okay, Sev.” His father smiled at him encouragingly. “Why did Tom adopt you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“He found me in the park near where I lived, the one Lily and I always hung out in together. She and her family were on holiday in France. It was the summer holidays after our first year at Hogwarts, and my father had just beaten me, but I managed to escape for a while after he passed out from the alcohol he had been drinking. He beat me and my mother, you see, for being magical. My mother died when I was nine and he got worse after that. But Tom found me, I was bleeding and bruised. He took me to his home and healed me up before asking what happened. I didn’t tell him straight away. But he let me stay with him and he looked after me, like a parent is supposed to look after their child. I told him after one of the nightmares I used to have, and he adopted me. I was happy after that point. Before that, the only person who could make me happy was Lily, but after he adopted me it was like I had a real family, eventually I met all of Tom’s friends and followers, no they aren’t called Death Eaters, nor do they wear a Dark Mark, and they all treated me well, too. Lucius Malfoy was in the same year as your mother and I, he was the only other friend I had, well, him and Narcissa when she started during our second year. But after he adopted me I had a family, and I had three friends, all of whom cared for me. It was the happiest time of my life. Well, other than the day I married your mother of course. I wish I could have been there when you were born, though. That would have beat everything by far.” Severus smiled brightly and even Harry let out a small smile. 

“I’m sorry your old father beat you.”

“It’s not your fault. You don’t have to apologise for everything.”

Harry nodded, but he knew it would take himself a while to break the habit. 

“What is a Dark Veela?”

“A Dark Veela is a magical creature, similar to a Light Veela, which is what the Malfoys are, Draco will come into his inheritance on his birthday. Veela are beautiful semi-human creatures, very similar to wizards in the sense that they look like them and can do everything a wizard can do, but they also have their own magics which the wizards can’t do. It is thought that Veela are only women and there are only one type, but that is not the truth. There are many male Veela, but they don’t have the same effects as the women do. Women Veela can make men do strange things in order to get closer to them with only their dance because of how seductive it is and how beautiful they are. Male Veela, although beautiful and being very able to dance, don’t have that power over women. Instead, they are fiercely protective over women and submissive Veela, and of children, whether they are their own children, another Veela’s child, even if the children are not of their species. Submissive male Veela are also very protective of women, other submissives, and of any child they come across. 

“There are two types of Veela; Light and Dark. Light Veela are characterised by white, or platinum blonde hair, like the Malfoys, as well as their abilities to control air and water. Dark Veela are characterised by black hair, like us, and our abilities to control fire and earth. There are other things as well but those are the main differences in our kind. Although, not everyone with those hair colours are Veela, but all Veela have those hair colours depending on what type they are. Then there are dominants and submissives, in both kinds of Veela. Dominants are always male, but not all male Veela are dominant, like yourself. A dominant Veela is someone who has a submissive mate, my mate was Lily, and they are the main protector of the family. Their mate doesn’t have to be a Veela. Dominants won’t let anyone hurt their family, if anyone they love is hurt they hurt the person who caused the pain. Which is why, when you’re healed, I am going to pay a visit to the Dursleys, and why I’m going to hurt Dumbledore when I can. As well as everyone else who has ever hurt you or anyone else I consider family. Dominants are also the ones that do all of the political things for the family, such as voting on their family’s seats in the Wizengamot, on behalf of their family. They also do other things, which you can learn more about at a later point. But you need to learn more about submissives since that is what you are. 

“All female Veela are submissives, but there are male submissives as well, as you know. This may come as a shock, but the submissives are the ones that bear the children. I know you grew up in the Muggle world and think that men can’t get pregnant. In the Wizarding World, they can, with the right charms and potions, although it is more dangerous than a female pregnancy. However, if you are a male submissive creature, like a Veela, you are fully able to get pregnant and birth children without the added danger, as well as without the potions and charms. So yes, you will become pregnant someday, maybe more than once. But I will be there for you every step of the way, so will your mate. Submissives are also fiercely protective of their family, however, the dominant won’t allow them to put themselves in any more danger than necessary, and if they are pregnant then the dominants won’t allow them to put themselves in danger at all. Your primary job will be to look after the family, but you can get a job if you so wish, so long as it isn’t too dangerous because your dominant mate won’t like it. There are plenty of books on Veela in the library which you can look through for more information, that is just the gist of it.” Severus explained as best as he could. 

“So, I’m able to get pregnant? As in… have babies?” Harry asked, placing his hand on his stomach; shocked, and scared that he may have gotten pregnant by his uncle’s friend. 

“Yes, but you won’t have that ability until you come into your inheritance, so even if you and your mate had sex before your next birthday you won’t get pregnant. The womb and birth canal won’t form until your inheritance comes, and it will be painful, but I will be with you the entire time, so will your grandfather once he is back in his body.” He hurried to reassure his son after seeing the scared look in his eyes as his small hand went to his flat stomach, it was obvious what was going through his sons’ mind. “You will find out who your mate is when you come into your inheritance on your next birthday. And, since you’re a submissive, your mate will definitely be male.”

“It’s okay, then… To be gay?” Harry questioned, shyly.

“Yes. I know that in the muggle world there are a lot of prejudices against gay people. But in the Wizarding world it is completely okay to be gay, has been since the potions and charms that allow a male pregnancy were invented over a thousand years ago. And it’s always been okay with many magical creatures as the male submissives are able to get pregnant naturally. Also, with lesbians it is also okay as there are charms and potions that allow the DNA of both women to mix and form an embryo inside one of the women, that, in turn, becomes a baby. That was invented at the same time as the potions and charms that allow a male pregnancy to occur. So, although we may be behind the muggles in many things, we aren’t in the sense that being gay is allowed, accepted, and fully supported by everybody.” Severus explained. 

Harry sighed in relief, he had known he was gay for a few years but didn’t want to tell anyone in fear of being hated and ridiculed. 

“Are there any other questions you want to ask me right now?” Severus asked. 

“I… This is a lot to take in.”

“I know, Harry, and I wish I would have known the truth sooner, but your mother had her reasons. I just want you to know that I am here for you, and I always will be, I promise. No matter what you need, just come to me and I will help you as best as I can. Now, you need to rest. Would you like some dreamless sleep potion, to help you get some sleep?”

“Yes, please.” Harry admitted.

Severus took the potion out of his bag, uncorked the vial and held it out to his son. Harry took it and downed it straight away, grimacing at the foul taste.

“Do all potions have to taste so bad?” Harry moaned tiredly. 

“With some potions, if you try to make it taste better, it messes with the effectiveness of the potion. So, most potion masters don’t try. But this is something we can discuss some other time, when you’re feeling better. Now, lay down and get some sleep. If you need me then call Pinky and ask her to get me, okay?” Harry nodded as he laid down in his bed. 

“Okay, sweet dreams, Harry. I love you.”

Harry fell into a peaceful sleep that wasn’t riddled with nightmares for the first time in weeks.  
Severus placed a charm on the boy to let him know if he wakes or has a nightmare, or if he gets ill, and he kissed his sons’ forehead, smiling gently at the sleeping boy before leaving the room. 

When he entered his fathers’ study he sat on the armchair in front of the fire and called Pinky.

“What can I do for you Master Severus?” She asked happily as she popped into the room. 

“Can you make sure something special is made for dinner? And make Harry a birthday cake, please. Could you also go to my vault at Gringott’s and find all of the photos of Lily and I there and bring them back here, give them to me. But before you do those things could you find my father and bring him here no matter what form he is in, I am sure you can sense him.”

“Of course, Master Severus.”

“Thank you, Pinky.”

She bowed and popped out again, leaving Severus to summon a small glass of Firewhiskey.


	3. A Father Saves His Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus completes the ritual to bring Tom, his adoptive father, back to his body. Harry receives mail because it is his birthday. The three men start getting to know each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like good Tom Riddle then you probably won't like this chapter.

It took half an hour for Pinky to return to the office with the spirit of his father. He was very much like a ghost, but thicker. Tom smiled at his son and his son smiled back. Pinky popped away to prepare what Severus asked for Harry.

“Pinky told me you were back here, and that you had a lot to tell me. I had come back once a month to see if there were any signs of you being here. But after what Dumbledore did to me you hadn’t come back.” Tom said, happy to see his son again.

“Sorry father. I didn’t have my true memories. I was made to believe I was a spy for Dumbledore because you wanted to go after the Potter’s and kill them, including Lily. I thought you had been the one to kill Lily and James. I know the truth now. I… I have a son.” Severus whispered the last part, still shocked by the letter and the state he had found his son in.

“Lily’s son?”

“Yes. She sent me a letter, before she died, it was timed to appear to me at midnight of the thirty thirst of July nineteen ninety-four. Our son’s fourteenth birthday. I got my memories back and she explained everything. How Dumbledore put her under the imperius curse the day she found out she was pregnant and made her change my memories of everything, how she couldn’t resist because she was pregnant, but it broke after she gave birth. But she couldn’t come back to me because I didn’t have my memories, and she didn’t want to make Dumbledore suspicious. Dumbledore is controlling Remus and Sirius as well, and the staff at Hogwarts, and the Aurors who are part of the Order. But Lily has given me information on how to save them and keep them out of his control, as well as how to save you. She was a Seer so she saw a lot of things when the imperius broke. She couldn’t see anything before then. She told me how Dumbledore is planning on having the Tri-wizard Tournament held at the school this year and he’s going to put Harry’s name in it, to make him compete as a fourth champion. Hoping that Harry will die in one of the tasks. She told me how Harry couldn’t trust the friends he has made, not all of them anyway. She told me Harry is a submissive Dark Veela and I apparently will like who his mate is, but she didn’t tell me who it was. She told me a lot of things, most of which I didn’t like reading.” Severus explained as a tear slipped out of his eye.

“Where’s Harry? Does he know the truth? Does he know what happened?”

“Yes, he knows. He’s in the bedroom next to mine, resting. He was with Petunia of all people. Dumbledore put him there, hoping they would abuse him probably. And they did. He was so badly abused, and someone has been raping him since he was twelve. I managed to heal him, physically, but I don’t know about the mental damage. He cried because I told him I loved him, because no one else had told him that before, not from what he remembers. I showed him Lily’s letter to me, he asked if it was true and I saw a flash of hope in his eyes before it disappeared. I explained to him about some things, like what Veela were, when I told him he could get pregnant he looked scared, terrified even, like he thought he could already be pregnant. But when I told him he could only get pregnant by his mate he looked so relieved. I don’t know how to help him, I don’t know how to be a dad.” More tears slipped out of Severus’ eyes and Tom wanted nothing more than to hold his son in his arms and comfort him.

“Just love him, be there for him, teach him things he doesn’t know, give him the childhood he deserves, or at least provide him with a good childhood from now on. I will be here to help. And I can help better when my body is back. We can be a family. And we can make Albus Dumbledore pay for what he has done. As well as everyone else that has ever hurt or betrayed Harry in some way.”

“That’s a long list of people. Albus Dumbledore, Petunia Dursley, Vernon Dursley, Dudley Dursley, Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Percy Weasley, Seamus Finnegan, Lavender Brown, Padma and Parvati Patil, Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Molly and Arthur Weasley, everyone else in the Order who isn’t a staff member at Hogwarts, an Auror, Sirius or Remus. And that’s just the ones I know, there may be more. We could probably get the rest of the Weasley’s on our side since they are Harry’s true friends, and when they find out what their family has been doing I am sure they will want to help Harry. So that is Fred, George, Bill and Charlie Weasley. Neville Longbottom, and Dean Thomas will also probably be on our side. Possibly Lee Jordan as well since he is best friends with the twins and is also a friend of Harry’s. We have to help you, the teachers at Hogwarts, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin and they will be on our side. There’s also the Aurors Dumbledore has under his control who will probably be on our side once we save them; Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks. Tonks’ parents might join our cause as well since they were friends with Lily and I, Andromeda and Ted are their names. Then, of course, there are the people that were on our side anyway, the ones that aren’t in Azkaban anyway. I just don’t understand how people can hurt an innocent child. My child.”

“Everything will be okay in the end, Severus. How exactly did Lily say you have to bring me back to my body?”

Severus held the letter that held the details on how to save his father in his hands and read it carefully.

“She invented a ritual, one that will counteract the curse Dumbledore used on you and give you your soul and body back, even without all of the items he hid bits of your soul in. We’ll have to go to the ritual room to do it.”

“Well then, let’s go. I want to meet my grandson properly and explain to him that I didn’t kill Lily and James.”

“He knows.”

“I know he knows, but I think he needs an explanation from me. Also, he will need all the help and support he can get right now, it must be tough for him to find out that his whole life is a lie. I want to be there for him physically.”

Severus just nodded and lead his father to the ritual room in the basement of the Manor.

“You need to be in the centre circle of runes in the room.” Severus told his father who glided over to the circle of runes in the centre of the room, standing in the middle of it as Severus read how to do the spell over and over again until it stuck in his head.

Severus placed a candle in the centre of each of the five runes that surrounded his father and lit them with a flick of his wand. He then walked back 10 steps away from his father and pointed his wand at the spirit, looking into the eyes of the man.

“Dat illi corpus, animam suam det illi, det illi cor ejus, dabo illi animam suam, det illi magia eius.” Severus chanted three times, his wand moving in a figure eight but it still pointed directly at his father.

At the end of the third chant a golden magic surrounded the spirit of his father and Severus could see the magic at work, changing his father’s appearance so that he started to look human again. It took about ten minutes for it to be successful, the magic dissipated and Tom crumpled to the floor, weak as his body was still new. Severus rushed over to him and held his father in his arms for the first time in fourteen years. Tom held him back.

They stayed in each other’s arms for a few more minutes before Tom pulled back and truly examined his son.

“Let’s go see my grandson.” Tom said, smiling at his son.

Severus smiled back and nodded in agreement. Severus stood and helped his father stand, leading him from the room and to his sons’ room with his arm around his father’s waist for support.

Harry was still sleeping when they entered the room. Severus helped his father into the chair he had slept in a few hours before, before going to the window where Hedwig was waiting for them. He opened it and she flew into the room, perching next to Harry on the bed and nudging his hair off his forehead affectionately with her small beak. Severus sat on the edge of the bed, he summoned some owl treats for the bird and put a handful of them on the bed before he looked down at his sleeping son. The bird hooted gratefully and started pecking away at the food.

“He’s beautiful, even if he does look slightly like James right now. I see bits of you in him, though, if you look closely enough you can see he has your cheekbones, and your ears. He also has Lily’s nose and lips. I’m guessing the glamour will wear off when he comes into his creature inheritance?”

“Yes.”

“I wonder who his mate is going to be. Lily did say it is someone you will like. That doesn’t really leave many options as you don’t like many people.” Tom joked, stifling a laugh so as not to wake his grandson up.

“I’ll have you know, I like a lot of people, but some of the people I like I’m not allowed to show them I like them or Dumbledore will get suspicious. And I had plenty of friends when I was younger, still do.” Severus replied, feigning hurt.

“Has anyone you know, that is going to come into a creature inheritance soon, reported feeling anything for him that might be slightly romantic? I am guessing it is someone who hasn’t yet come into their inheritance as they would have saved Harry, knowing he would have been in pain, if they had come into their inheritance, but the romantic feelings, and feelings of wanting to protect their mate, can start from the first meeting, they just don’t know when their mate is in danger until they have come into their inheritance, so it could be someone he knows.” Tom questioned.

“Well, Draco talks to me a lot, with me being his godfather and all, he told me he has a crush on a boy, but I could tell it was more than a crush. And he said that he couldn’t be with him because certain people wouldn’t like it if they were together. Harry fits into that category with him being in Gryffindor, and being _The-Boy-Who-Lived_. I also think I might have seen him glancing at Harry a few times. And I have seen Harry glance at him a few times as well…”

Severus stopped speaking when a moan from his son alerted him that the boy was waking. Hedwig turned to the boy and started nipping his ear affectionately, the men looked at him as well.

Harry giggled as Hedwig’s feathers tickled his skin, and he blinked his green eyes open.

“Harry, how are you feeling?” Severus asked, concerned for his son.

“Better, although, I am feeling slightly sore.” Harry replied as he lifted his arm to stroke his owl.

“Do you want some help sitting up so you can have some more pain reliever potion? It must be wearing off.” Harry nodded in response and Severus helped him sit up, with the pillows behind his back, before giving him another dose of the pain reliever potion, not wanting his son to be in pain.

It was when Hedwig jumped onto his lap that Harry noticed the other man in the room, sitting in the chair Severus had slept in previously. A man with short brown hair that had a few grey streaks in it, deep blue eyes shone bright with happiness, he had a few wrinkles but not too many, he looked weak, but happy at the same time. Harry realised it was Tom Riddle, the man he thought was Voldemort. Harry looked at him, both curious and slightly scared.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Harry. The person that did all those things to you wasn’t me. I didn’t kill your mother and James. I never wanted to kill you. I would never kill a child, especially not a magical one. Especially not the child of my daughter in law, even if I thought you were James’.” Tom spoke in a gentle, calming voice.

“I know, but it’s still hard…”

“I know. But I will make it up to you, we both will. We will be the family we were meant to be all along, just, without Lily. But she will always be with us. Just as we will always be with you. Also, happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

There was a patting on the window and they looked there to find an owl that Harry recognised. Pig. The owl that Sirius gave to Ron. There were a bunch of parcels and notes hanging off the small birds’ legs. Severus waved his wand at the window, causing it to open and the bird to fly in, landing next to Harry on the bed.

Harry looked hesitant to touch any of the letters and parcels though.

“Harry, what’s wrong?” Severus asked his son.

“That’s Pigwidgeon, the owl that Sirius gave to Ron at the end of last year. Meaning those are from the Weasley’s, and possibly Hermione too.”

Severus used his wand to check for any charms or potions. There were a few but he was able to counter the effects with some spells, and they weren’t on everything. The gift and letter from the twins was free of spells and potions.

“They’re safe to open now. I managed to counter all spells and potions on the ones from everyone but the twins, the ones from Fred and George weren’t affected by anything.” Severus informed his son sadly.

Harry just nodded and started unburdening Pig of the things tied to his small body. When he was done Pig left and Harry started opening everything, first opening the present and letter from his true friends, the twins.

The twins gave him some joke products of their own invention, some chocolate frogs, a small, handheld mirror, and a book about pranks. Their letter was clearly written by both of them. It said:

_Harrykins,_

**_Here is Gred_ ** _, here is Feorge. **Happy birthday** little brother! Hope you **enjoyed your presents from us.** Use them well. **Harrykins, we need to** speak to you. **About something important.** We can’t tell you what in this letter. **The mirror is a two-way mirror.** Say one or both of our names into it, **just our first names though,** but our first names as we call us. **We have the other mirror.** You can speak to us at any time with it. **When you are alone** say our names into it **and we can arrange a time and place to meet and talk** in private. _

**_We hope the muggles are treating you okay._ **

_See you soon little brother._

**_Love Gred_ ** _and Feorge._

Harry smiled slightly as he finished the letter, placing it down on top of the box the twins’ presents were in.

He then turned to the other presents, not wanting to open them but knowing he probably should.

He opened the presents first. He had homemade fudge and a cake from Molly. Some chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans from Ron. A book about Quidditch from Ginny. Some Muggle sweets and a book on Animagi from Hermione. And a ticket to join them at the Quidditch World Cup from Arthur.

He then looked at the letters, not wanting to read them, but doing so anyway.

Hermione’s said:

_Harry,_

_Have you done your summer homework yet? I have, it’s all quite easy really. You should get it done soon so you can have fun for the rest of the summer. You are coming to the Quidditch World Cup with us, right? I am at The Burrow right now, and Mrs Weasley says they’re coming to collect you in a weeks’ time._

_Happy birthday._

_Hermione._

Anger flashed in Harry’s eyes for a second before he put the letter down and picked up the next one. Ron’s read:

_Hey Harry,_

_How are you? Have you done your homework yet? Since she got here Hermione hasn’t stopped moaning at me to do mine. I’ve done it, though, so now I can just relax for the rest of the summer. You coming to the Quidditch World Cup with us? Mum said that dad would be picking you up from your aunt’s and uncle’s in a week._

_See you soon._

_Happy birthday._

_Ron._

He picked up the next letter to find it was from Ginny, who wrote:

_Harry,_

_Happy birthday. How has your summer been? Hope you like my present. Hope you can make it to the Quidditch World Cup, dad will be picking you up in a week, can’t wait to see you. Have you done your homework yet? I have. That means that when you do come back we can have fun._

_See you soon._

_Ginny._

Harry groaned in annoyance before picking up the last letter, which was from Molly:

_Harry dear,_

_How are you? Happy birthday, and I hope you like the fudge and cake, as well as the other presents. Have you done your homework yet? If not, you should probably get started on it. Hope you are able to come to the Quidditch World Cup with us, it will be great to have you. Arthur will be picking you up in a week, but if you can’t make it then be sure to tell us before then._

_See you soon._

_Molly._

“They said that Arthur will be picking me up from my Petunia’s and Vernon’s in a week. They want to take me to the Quidditch World Cup. And they’re telling me to do my homework even though they know that I can’t when I’m at the Dursley’s because they don’t let me use anything that is anything to do with magic. The twins need to talk to me, they gave me a two-way mirror so we can discuss a meeting time and place. Do you know when I will be able to meet them?” Harry said.

“Well, I assume you really only have a week to meet them in private.” Severus looked at his father who nodded to him, as if knowing what he was thinking. “I think you should use your two-way mirror and tell them everything when they’re in private, or at least, about me and whatever else you want to tell them. Then they can meet me somewhere in a few days and I will bring them here so you can talk with them. If that is what you want. You will need to rest this week. And we have to decide whether or not you will go to The Burrow, you probably should so as to not arouse suspicion, but it’s deciding how to get you there now that you aren’t at the Dursley’s. But, for now, we can leave you if you want to talk to the twins.”

“Yes please.”

Severus nodded before standing and helping his father stand.

“Call me when you’re ready so we can have dinner.” Severus instructed gently before leading his father out of the room and closing the door gently.

Harry took the mirror out of the box of gifts the twins had given him. He says Fred’s name and looks into it, waiting for the twins to show themselves.

They do after a few minutes, both smiling at him.

“Harrykins, sorry…” George.

“We took so long…” Fred.

“Had to get somewhere more private.” George.

“Hey guys, thank you for the presents. I love them.”

“You’re welcome…” Fred.

“Little brother.” George.

Harry smiled at them sadly.

“Are you okay, Harry?” They said at the same time.

“I will be. There are some things I need to explain. I am no longer at the Dursley’s. You see, some truths were revealed, and I am now somewhere else, the person I am with saved me from them.”

“What truths?” Fred.

“Who saved you?” George.

“Why’d you need saving?” Fred.

“Where are you?” George.

“A lot of truths. James Potter isn’t my father. My father is Professor Snape, I am with him. He saved me from the Dursley’s because I was… being a-abused by them. Hence the reason I am in a bed now and will probably have to remain here most of this week. I think I know what you wanted to talk to me about. I think you wanted to tell me how most of your family is working with Dumbledore to control me, how Ginny is wanting to marry me and have a child with me before they kill me so they can have my money. Dumbledore is the true Dark Lord. Voldemort is someone created by him, there is someone called Tom Riddle, he is my grandfather, he adopted Severus as a child, and he isn’t evil, he is good. Dumbledore killed my mum and James. Dumbledore killed all of those people. There’s more, too. But I can’t tell you too much yet. Severus said he can meet you two in a few days and bring you here so we can talk. When are you two available?”

The twins looked beyond shocked, and angry.

“Wow. I didn’t think there’d be that much. We knew about what our family was doing, other than Bill and Charlie of course. We can meet Professor Snape in the Leaky Cauldron in two days’ time, at about twelve, if he is okay with that time. Can we bring Bill and Charlie, too? They are at home for the summer and wanted to meet you, and tell you that they are on your side, not the family’s.”

“I’m sure that will be fine. And Bill and Charlie can come, too. I would like to meet them. My mum wanted me to form a group of people that will help me and work with me to change the Wizarding World. And I think that the four of you would be perfect additions. The only reason I know all of the things I do is because mum left a letter for Severus to be sent to him at midnight last night, then he saved me, healed me, and told me some things I needed to know. He didn’t have his memories before this morning. His true memories anyway. I will explain more when I see you, though. I promise.”

The twins nodded.

“We can hear the others, we should go. Call us at any time, but we will see you in a couple of days. We’re glad you got out of there mate.” Fred said.

“Thanks. See you soon.”

Then the twins disappear from the frame and Harry puts the mirror in the box, calling for his father, although he calls him by his given name.

Severus enters the room within a few minutes and helps Harry out of the bed and down to the dining room. On the way Harry tells his father what the twins said about meeting him in The Leaky Cauldron with Bill and Charlie. Severus agrees to it just as they enter, Tom was already sitting at the table.

Harry is shocked to find a present next to his plate and a birthday cake in the middle of the small table of the informal dining area.

“Happy birthday, Harry. I’m sorry it isn’t a lot, but there wasn’t much I could do with such little time. When you are better though I will take you shopping so we can get you some clothes, and things for your bedroom as well as whatever else you want.” Severus said sincerely.

“It’s fine. Thank you.” Harry replied as he opened his present to find a box filled with photos of his parents and other people too.

“That’s not all the things I have of your mother, but I figured that will do for now, we can go through them together if you want, and I can tell you about her and the days the photos were taken on. I will find everything else I have and you can have those as well.” Severus told his son, not knowing what else to say as Harry looked through the pictures with tears shining in his eyes.

“It’s great, thank you. One of my favourite presents ever.”

Severus smiled slightly at his son before clapping his hands twice which caused food to appear on the large empty silver plates that surrounded the birthday cake.

They all helped themselves to the fine food, and although Harry couldn’t eat much he still enjoyed it, he ate with a bright smile on his face. When they were all done with the main meal the leftover food disappeared leaving clean plates and the cake still in the middle of the table. Harry was surprised when they lit the candles on the cake (fourteen of them) and sang ‘happy birthday’ to him, the first persons whom he could remember ever singing the song to him. He blew out the candles and they all had a slice of the beautiful, moist vanilla cake which was covered in chocolate butter cream and read the words ‘Happy Birthday Harry!’ on top in vanilla butter cream.

All in all, despite all the betrayal he found out about, and the pain he had been in, it was one of the best birthdays of his short life.


	4. A Son Meets With Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry opens up to his father more. And he meets with Fred, George, Bill and Charlie to discuss what is going on in the Weasley family and Order, as well as starting to plan what is going to happen at school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like Weasley bashing, Dumbledore bashing, or Order bashing, you probably won't like this chapter.

Two days passed by rather quickly at Riddle Manor. Harry got to know his father and grandfather, although he wasn’t comfortable with calling them by those terms out loud yet, and he found that he really liked them. They actually cared about him, they actually loved him. They spent most of their time with him, except when he was sleeping because he ended up doing a lot of that since he was still healing, and still in pain when he wasn’t on pain relieving potions. They helped and comforted him when he had nightmares as well, which was a lot considering his past. His father also gave him a book about Veela and he read it eagerly, wanting to know everything he could learn about his kind, and what would occur during his life with his mate.

He was shocked to find out that if your mate dies then you will die a slow and painful death due to the loneliness you feel after. When he confronted his father on that, and how he wasn’t dead yet since his mate had died, his father explained that if a Veela has a child when it’s mate had died then that would keep them alive, the need to protect the child would keep them alive. When Harry said that he didn’t know he had a child though he added that his inner Veela must have known that he had a child out there and so he didn’t die. He also said that it would have been a long death, that it could take years to eventually die, it depended on how powerful you were. Though, he did say that unless murdered Veela tend to have rather long lives, that their average age of death was a lot higher than that of a wizards’, and that they tend to remain fertile until the day they die as well.

Harry read quite a few books in those two days, when he wasn’t sleeping he was found curled up in the library with his family and a book in his hands. He read a book on potions, transfiguration, charms, and the book of pranks the twins gave him, as well as the Veela one. He also started looking through the photos given to him by his father with both of the men and he loved the stories he was told.

It was a few hours before Severus was to go and meet the twins, Bill and Charlie when his father found him, in the library, curled up on one of the dark green, leather sofas, a book on potions in his hands, reading it intently, obviously interested in what the book was telling him, when Severus decided to ask his son why he was suddenly interested in books.

“Harry, I’ve known you for the past three years and I have never seen you being interested in books, or your studies. Why are you so interested in them now?” Severus asked curiously as he sat next to his son on the sofa.

“I’ve always loved books. I was punished whenever I did well at school, well, when I did better than Dudley and he was stupid and didn’t care about his studies, so I had to pretend to be stupid as well. But I went to the library in school a lot because I didn’t have any friends, Dudley chased everyone away and they were too scared of him to be bothered to become friends with me. So, I spent a lot of lunch times and break times in the library, either there or the music room anyway. I either spent my time reading books or learning how to play musical instruments because the librarian and the music teacher were the only ones that were nice to me. The only ones willing to help me. Then on the train to Hogwarts I met Ron and he was the first person to be nice to me, to become my friend. I didn’t want to lose my first ever friend. He never took any interest in his studies and I figured that if I did too much better than him then he wouldn’t like me anymore. And Hermione is the other best friend I had ever made, I feared that if I did better than her then she wouldn’t like me either. She also didn’t think that I was that clever, so I didn’t want her to change her mind on that and hate me. I was scared, last year, when I got full marks on my Defence Against the Dark Arts exam and she didn’t because she couldn’t get past the boggart at the end. I could tell that she was shocked but she didn’t say anything. Though, sometimes I would go to the library, I found a part of it that I could be alone in, and I would use the invisibility cloak to be alone and read where no one could see me. I also read all of my books before first year. I guess I was just scared of being rejected by the only friends I ever had, so I didn’t want to do too much better than them. But now that I know the truth about them, I don’t know what to do. I also think that maybe I feared that if my relatives found out about me doing well at Hogwarts the abuse would be worse as they would be more scared of me if I was doing magic well. And, you did say that I had blocks on my intelligence, which is probably why I struggled to remember things for exams, but now I remember everything I have learnt in the last three years. And if I retook the exams I am sure I could ace them. Also, now that I think about it, the two of them were always hindering my ability to do my school work, Hermione moaning about one thing or another and Ron trying to distract me from it.” Harry explained, Severus was saddened by his sons’ response, and Harry could tell. He looked back at the book in his hands so as to not see the sad look in his fathers’ eyes.

“Well, from now on I expect you to do your best in school, no matter what. I want you to do your best in all of your lessons, show Granger who really is at the top of the class. Now that we know the truth about them I think it would be a subtle start to revenge. But, I need to know, are you really that bad at potions?”

Harry laughed and shook his head. “No, ever since the events of second year I have been sneaking into Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, going into the Chamber of Secrets, where I have found Salazar Slytherin’s private potions lab, and I make every potion we learn about, and more, I am able to make them perfectly as well. You can test me if you want. I also turned the dead Basilisk into useable potions and wand ingredients, waiting to be used. I sold some of it to Ollivander so he could make wands with it. And I sold some to the Apothecaries in Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and Hogsmeade. I have the money from it hidden in the Chamber, ready to be put into my Gringotts account when I have the time, although, I did spend some of it on potions ingredients, but the Apothecaries gave me some potions ingredients for free as thanks for the rare Basilisk parts. I also have spent some of it on books, on potions and a lot of other things. The rest, of both the money and the ingredients, are in the potions lab down there, waiting to be used.”

Severus looked shocked, but also proud of his son. Harry was happy to know that someone was proud of him. He could see that Remus was proud of him when he got 100% in his DADA exam, but this was his father who was proud of him, that was different, better.

“Do you know what you want to do, after Hogwarts?” Severus questioned, intrigued.

“I don’t know. I mean, people expect me to become an Auror, you know, since I got rid of Voldemort, and keep doing so. But that’s not what I want to do. I don’t like fighting, and I don’t want to spend my life doing that. Especially now that I know I will be able to have a family despite my sexual preferences. I don’t want a job that is too dangerous. I think that the intelligence block really only worked around exams, as I didn’t struggle before exams, only during them, I just didn’t want to prove that I was intelligent. But now that it is gone and I am able to do well in exams I think I want to get some masteries. I will work to my full abilities from now on. I want to get a mastery in Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. I have studied books on Ancient Runes and Arithmancy all year and I find them intriguing. Much better than Care of Magical Creatures and Divination anyway. I was hoping I could change subjects, but with the teachers being controlled I wasn’t allowed to, I realise that now. I did ask McGonagall at the beginning of the year but she said I couldn’t. Once you have saved her I should be able to, though, right?”

“Yes, once they are out from Dumbledore’s control then she should be able to change your courses. Dumbledore obviously doesn’t want you to be doing anything that requires too much intelligence. The subjects you chose are simple and easy to pass, especially with the people that are teaching them. Ancient Runes and Arithmancy are much harder and require more work, they aren’t easy passes. Who do you want to do the masteries under?”

“Well, I was hoping that the Hogwarts professors, such as yourself, would be able to take me on as I also wanted to study healing under Madam Pomfrey. You see, before I knew the truth, I was planning on playing dumb until it was time to take my OWLs then actually do my best in them, and my NEWTs, then hope that they would take me on as an apprentice. But now I know the truth I am going to start doing my best now, and hopefully impress them enough to want to take me on, and express my interest in healing to Madam Pomfrey this year so maybe she could start teaching me the basics straight away, and maybe take my Healing exams along with my NEWTs. Then stay at Hogwarts as a part-time Healer whilst I gain my masteries. Supposing, of course, that Dumbledore and everyone who supports him is gone by then and my life can be simple without the worries of someone trying to kill me. Then, once I have my masteries I’m thinking of maybe teaching at Hogwarts as well as helping Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing when my help is needed. Or working at St Mungos for a number of years before starting to teach. I don’t know yet.”

“You’ve put a lot of thought into this. I’m impressed.” Severus chimed proudly.

“Thank you. Where’s Tom?” Harry asked, happy that someone was impressed with him and that that someone was his father.

“In bed, he’s still trying to gather his strength after the ritual to bring his body back to him. Now, I should probably floo to The Leaky Cauldron, I have to meet the Weasley’s soon. Do you want to meet them in here or in another room?”

“In here, please.”

“Okay, I will bring them through. I’ll be back soon.” Severus said as he stood up, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on his sons’ forehead before leaving the room.

Harry smiled at the feel of being kissed by a parent, he had never received kisses like that before, none that he could remember anyway. It was nice to know that he was loved and cared for. That someone wanted him in their lives.

It was half an hour later that the four Weasley boys and Severus entered the library to find Harry reading his potions book. Harry smiled at them and put the book down on the coffee table next to the sofa before he stood to greet them. The twins hugged him and he hugged them back. The other two boys introduced themselves and shook his hands. Severus called Pinky to ask for some drinks and snacks for the five boys before leaving the room and allowing them to converse on their own.

The five boys sat down, the twins on either side of Harry, on the same sofa he had been sitting on before, and the other two in the two armchairs opposite the sofa.

“Harry, we’re sorry about how our family are treating you. We heard them talking in the kitchen, about taking money from your vaults at Gringotts, Hermione’s taking books from your family vaults as well. Then Ginny and mum were talking about getting you to marry Ginny, and getting her pregnant then killing you so they can have all of your money. We heard them talking about how they were feeding you various potions and casting various spells on you. And how the Tri-wizard Tournament will be happening at school this year and the Headmaster is going to put your name in and make sure it came out so you would have to compete. He has been testing you, every year except for last year. He also has the teachers, Remus and Sirius under the imperius curse, controlling them, making sure that they treat you how he wants them to treat you. It was a set-up, you meeting us before your first year, he wanted to make you hate Slytherin so you wouldn’t want to go there. That’s all we know, but we told Bill and Charlie straight away and we all hate our family for what they are doing to you. And we are all with you every step of the way.” George said, no one else knowing what to say. It was the most Harry had heard one of the twins speak without the other finishing their sentences.

“I knew most of that already. Here is my mothers’ letter to Severus, you should probably all read it so you can understand what’s been going on better. Don’t worry, Severus gave me permission to show it to you all.” Harry said as he picked up the letter from the table where he had placed his book and gave it to Fred, who read it before giving it to George, and he passed it to his two other brothers after reading it himself.

They were all shocked and angry at what they read.

“So, you’re a submissive Dark Veela?” Bill asked, curious yet amazed.

“Yes, or I will be on my next birthday, that is when I will gain my inheritance. So, no matter how much your parents and Dumbledore try to get me to marry Ginny, I wouldn’t be able to, I also wouldn’t be able to get her pregnant as it is my job to get pregnant, I can’t physically get anyone pregnant, I am only allowed to mate with my mate. So that part of their plan isn’t going to work out.” Harry explained with a smile on his face.

“Do you know who your mate is yet?” Fred pondered.

“No. I just know it is either someone I have already met, or will meet this year, and they are a Veela themselves. They also have to be a dominant Veela. I will find out on my birthday who it is.”

“Has your father started saving the people that need saving?” Charlie asked.

“Yes. He has saved Tom, who is upstairs resting as he needs to gain his strength back after the ritual. He is also working on the potion so he can give it to the other professors, the Aurors, Remus and Sirius after using the counter charm. He is also going to give it to whoever is on our side so Dumbledore can’t control any of us. Which means he has to make a lot of it.”

“And Dumbledore really is the true Dark Lord?” George said in a tone that made the others sense he didn’t want to fully believe it, but with all of the proof there wasn’t really much else that Dumbledore could be.

“Yes. He has been playing everyone.”

“Are you going to make that group your mother mentioned?” Fred asked, sounding very interested in being a member.

“Of course. And you four are the first members, if you want to be anyway. Severus told me where the Room of Requirement is, and how it works. I can make it so that Bill and Charlie are able to floo there when we have meetings. And I figured I would meet with more people during the summer to really start to build numbers. We need people that are going to be my true friends, people that can help me. People that will work beside me in bringing down Dumbledore and his followers.”

“Of course, we’ll join. Who else are you going to try and get in it?” Bill replied.

“Well, I was thinking of asking Neville and Dean, as well as Lee, Colin, Dennis, and Alicia from Gryffindor. Then Susan, Hannah, Ernie, Justin, and Cedric from Hufflepuff. Also, Anthony, Isobel, Lisa, Terry and Luna from Ravenclaw. And Blaise, Daphne, Draco, Theodore, and Tracey for Slytherin. I think that it would be good to have people from all houses in order to see what is occurring in each of them and how Dumbledore is messing with everybody. We also need to stop the house rivalry which Dumbledore is only making worse and this is a good way of doing so. I also think it would be a good idea for the staff to be involved once Severus has had the chance to save them, as well as the Aurors, Sirius and Remus. And I think the ghosts and Peeves should join since they seem to know things even the teachers don’t. And, if we can get the Room of Requirement to add some blank canvases we can speak to some of the people from the paintings around school as well to see if they know anything extra, we can speak to some of the past heads and see if they know any of what Dumbledore is planning, which is highly likely since they are in the same room as him. We can find others to help as well, but that is who I am thinking of so far. And we can train together as well, see if the teachers, etcetera, will teach us extra things and whatnot. I’m guessing that Dumbledore will want a war, and we need to be trained for it. We need to be readier than what Dumbledore thinks we’re going to be, which obviously isn’t very ready considering the fact that we’re not really learning anything useful, especially in Defence as Remus is the only decent teacher we have had in that subject. I have found out that he has cut out a lot of important subjects since becoming headmaster. We can also use the Marauders Map to see where people are at which time, keep an eye on the people we know to be working alongside Dumbledore. Do you guys know of anyone else who may be willing to join?” Harry said and they all nodded in agreement to his choices.

“We don’t know anyone else, but we can try and find people.” George replied, the other three brothers nodding in acceptance.

“Good. Thank you, for sticking by me instead of your family. It must be hard.”

“Harry, we love you…” Fred.

“You’re our little brother…” George.

“To find out what our family…” Fred.

“Is doing to you…” George.

“It hurts us to know that they want to cause you so much pain…” Fred.

“When we thought they loved you…” George.

“We will always stick with you…” Fred.

“You’re our family…” George.

“And we don’t like dark wizards…” Fred.

“We also don’t like Dumbledore…” George.

“So, we are with you…” Fred.

“Every step of the way.” Both of them finished.

“Harry, what our family are doing is wrong. We won’t stick by them and watch them mess with a child. Especially not our brother.” Charlie added, and Bill nodded to show that he agreed with his brothers.

“Thank you. What did you say when you told them you were going out for the afternoon?”

“We said we were meeting with Lee. They said they had to grab some things from Diagon Alley. How do you feel about having babies?” Fred asked, curious.

“Well, I feel great about it actually. I mean, I have known that I was gay for a while, but in the Muggle world it is frowned upon by most people to be gay, I also resigned myself to not having a family because of it. But now that I know that I can have a family, of my own, with my own biological children. It’s great. And I don’t even mind the thought of being pregnant, it sounds like a wonderful experience, painful for sure, but to feel your own child growing inside of you… it sounds amazing. Even more amazing considering I didn’t even know that wizards could get pregnant.” Harry answered truthfully, in awe of the fact that he could have children despite his sexual preferences, as well as the fact that he could actually carry and birth the children.

“We’ll be sure to protect you and your family, Harry. We’ll be there for you every step of the way. We solemnly swear on it.” The twins spoke in perfect synchronisation.

“I know you will.”

They talked for another hour, not about Dumbledore or anything, just about themselves, and life, the twins and Harry catching up and Harry getting to know the oldest two Weasley children. Harry asked the twins to tell their parents that he wrote to them saying he couldn’t make it to the World Cup or The Burrow as he would be ‘away with his family’. They were gutted but they knew he still needed time to heal, and he needed time to speak with others he wanted in his group, so they agreed.

When they had left Harry picked up his unfinished book, but he didn’t start reading straight away, he was too busy smiling at the fact that he still had friends, and that he would have more soon. He thought about everything that had happened and will happen, and although he knew that there were going to be tough times, he knew he had a family, that will get larger with the new friends and people he added to it, and that that family would always stick with him. Not because he was the supposed ‘Boy-Who-Lived’, but because he was Harry. Just Harry.


	5. A Son Makes a New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry talks with Draco, and they become the friends that they were meant to be from year one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like Harry and Draco friendship then you probably won't like this chapter.

A week had passed since the twins came to visit, it was now the 9th of August, and Harry was feeling a lot better than he was when he arrived at the Manor he now called home, but he still hadn’t worked up the courage to call his father and grandfather by similar names out loud. Tom was also feeling a lot better; his old energy having been renewed.

Harry continued to read books in the library, and he had finished his summer homework to the best of his abilities. He also continued getting to know the men that were the beginnings of his true family. They all spent a lot of time together, other than when Severus was making the potion to make people not feel the effects of the imperius curse anymore, and others which he needed to make to stock up the stores at Hogwarts, or when Tom and Harry were resting, or Harry was studying. Harry was coming to love the men he lived with, but he couldn’t say that to them yet. Part of him feared the response since he had never told anyone he loved them before.

Well, that was a lie, he had told Aunt Petunia those three words before and he was punished for it. She whacked him around the head with a hot frying pan. Although the men were getting to know one another, Harry hadn’t opened up too much about the abuse he had received the past thirteen years. He hadn’t mentioned much that his family did to him, only talking about how he wasn’t allowed to do certain things but never telling them about his ‘punishments’. He didn’t have it in him to talk about that yet.

Harry found his father in the library, reading his favourite potions journal, he was in one of the black wing-back armchairs that sat in front of the large fireplace. Harry sat in the one next to it and Severus looked at him.

“Where’s your grandfather?” Severus asked.

“In the garden, he wanted to check on the thestrals that are in the forest, and since I can’t see them I figured I would come and find you. I was also wondering if you could maybe see if Draco was available to come here at any point?” Harry replied.

Severus looked shocked at the request.

“Why do you want to see Draco? I thought you didn’t like him.”

“Well, I don’t really hate him, I thought he hated me, you see. He was rather rude to me and my supposed friends after all. And I would have shaken his hand in friendship in first year, had he not been rude, and had Ron and Hagrid said bad things about Slytherin. I mean, I was meant to be sorted into Slytherin, but because of what I learned about the house, and because of Draco being rude and subsequently being sorted into the house, I begged the Sorting Hat to put me anywhere but Slytherin. But that is beside the point, I want to apologise to him, and see if the friendship offer is still open, of course we will have to keep our friendship a secret this year, until my inheritance. I also would like him and some of the other Slytherins to join my group, but I figured that if I talked to him first it would be easier, especially since I have a bigger history with him. And I honestly don’t hate him.” Harry explained, looking at his lap as a blush lined his cheeks, a blush that caused Severus to smile although Harry couldn’t see it.

“Okay. I will floo them now, when would you like to see my godson?”

“As soon as possible please.” Harry beamed at his father.

“Okay. Are you going to explain everything to him?” Harry nodded. “Do you want to show him the letter, too?” Harry nodded again. “Okay, I will floo them from this fireplace and see if he can come through right away. If not I will tell him he can come when he’s available.” Severus said as he stood up and walked to the fireplace, taking a handful of the floo powder from the pot on top of it, throwing it in and stepping in, calling out ‘Malfoy Manor’, disappearing in the green flames.

It was half an hour later that Severus stepped back through the fireplace, Draco coming through a minute after him. Draco looked at Harry, shocked to see him there.

“Uncle Sev, why is Potter here?” Draco asked curiously.

“So, you haven’t told him anything?” Harry questioned Severus.

“No, I figured I would leave the explaining to you since you’re the one that wanted him here. I just told him that someone wanted to speak to him about something. Draco, he will explain why he is here and what is going on to you, take a seat, I will ask Pinky to bring you some drinks and snacks. I will also leave you both alone. Please don’t hex each other. I will be in my potions lab if either of you need me.” Severus replied before grabbing a potions book and leaving the room.

Draco sat in the chair that Severus was sat in when Harry had found him in the library. They sat in silence until Pinky popped in with a tray of snacks and drinks which she placed on the coffee table in front of the chairs.

When she popped back out again Draco gathered the courage to ask a question. “So, why are you here, Potter?”

“To begin explaining that I should probably let you read this first…” Harry trailed off as he took his mothers’ letter to his father out of his pocket and gave it to the boy next to him to read.

Draco took the letter in his hand sceptically and read through it, both shocked and somewhat angry and what he read about the Headmaster of his school doing.

“So… You’re Severus’ son?”

“Yes, he received that at midnight on my birthday and he came to save me from the Dursleys. I have been in the process of healing all week. And getting to know Severus, and Tom, who we have managed to bring back to his body. Severus is working on the potion so he can help the teachers, the Aurors, Sirius and Remus, he’s also trying to make enough so that everyone on our side can take it and we won’t have to worry about being under the effects of the imperius curse.”

“And, you’re a submissive Dark Veela?”

“Yes, though, like you, I won’t gain my inheritance until my next birthday.”

“And your mum was a seer?”

“Yes. And everything that she saw became the truth. So, obviously she can’t divulge everything she saw, only the important parts, or parts that don’t really make any difference in anything. Like Dumbledore putting my name in the Goblet of Fire. That way I can prepare. Or the fact that I am a submissive Veela because I will know that by this time next year anyway when I will be trying to figure out who my mate is.”

“And Dumbledore is evil… not Voldemort… or who we thought was Voldemort anyway?”

“Yes. He is Severus’ adoptive father, he’s really nice. He’s in the forest tending to the thestrals currently. And I believe your parents were on his side in the war, along with Severus, and whoever else that were claimed to be Death Eaters.”

“This is a lot to take in.” Draco breathed, still in shock.

“I know.”

“Why did you want to speak to me?”

“Well, I wanted to apologise, for not accepting your friendship and for everything I have done to you in the past few years. I was also hoping we could be friends, or at least lead up to that. But we’ll have to keep it secret for this year, once I have my inheritance though, and the charm breaks, we can reveal our friendship as everything, or a lot of the truth will be revealed then. I was also hoping that you would be part of my group. It will be a group of friends, or at least people I hope will become friends eventually, and we will help each other train since I assume Dumbledore will want a war eventually. There will be people from each house in it, that way we can keep an eye on what is going on in each house, and figure out how to help if help is needed. I also think that it’s time for some house unity, especially with Dumbledore still in charge and trying to take on the world. The staff at Hogwarts, Severus, Tom, hopefully the ghosts and some of the portraits, as well as some others from outside the school will be part of the group as well. We need to find out as much as we can about Dumbledore and what he’s planning, as well as what he is already doing. So, er, do you agree?”

“I agree.” Draco said with a small smile on his face, he could tell Harry was nervous. “Have you got anyone to be in it yet?”

“Yes. Fred, George, Bill and Charlie Weasley. They’re the only Weasley’s on my side, the only ones I can trust. I spoke to them the other day. They are keeping an eye on their family and Hermione for me because their family are working for Dumbledore.”

“Okay, do you know who else you want to get in the group?”

“Neville, Dean, Alicia, Lee, Colin, Dennis, Susan, Hannah, Ernie, Justin, Cedric, Anthony, Isobel, Lisa, Terry, Luna, Blaise, Daphne, Theodore, and Tracey. Do you reckon the other Slytherins I mentioned would want to join? Do you know anyone else that would want to join?”

“Yes, those Slytherins would want to join. Our parents worked together with your father and grandfather, and they all distrust Dumbledore. I could speak to them if you want, and try and get them to come over here at some point so you can explain to them. They love Uncle Sev, so once they find out you’re his son they would treat you like they would any Slytherin. I don’t know of anyone else who would want to join currently, but I can ask around, discretely of course, and see if anyone wants to join. We can’t trust Crabbe, Goyle or Pansy though. I believe their families are all under Dumbledore’s thumb. None of our parents have ever seen their parents around your father and grandfather, or mentioned them, so I think they are what people claim our parents to be, Death Eaters, and that they are working for Dumbledore since it seems that he is actually the leader of the Death Eaters.”

“Okay, thank you. I probably wouldn’t have chosen them anyway, they seem a bit rough compared to the rest of you.”

“Oh, they are. So, how are you coping with all of the chages?” Draco asked hesitantly, not knowing if he overstepped his boundaries.

Harry smiled sadly, “Better than I was. It’s hard, knowing that I’ve been lied to and manipulated all of my life. And I still have nightmares about my life with my aunt and uncle. I don’t really talk about it, but Severus and Tom help me through them, they comfort me the way that no one else has comforted me before. And It’s nice, I feel loved for the first time ever. And I love them, I’m just scared of admitting that to them. I’m also scared of calling them ‘dad’ and ‘grandpa’, even though that is what I think of them as. I haven’t had a family before, not a proper one anyway, and I don’t want to mess it up. I pretend that I’m okay, but on the inside I don’t know what to do. I love living here, I love them, I just don’t know how to admit it. I’m so scared, terrified even. I have the one thing I have always wanted, and I am terrified of losing it. And of everything else. So I revert back to my coping mechanism of pretending that I’m okay on the outside, because I am scared of showing what’s on the inside. Which really is just one big mess of fear, confusion, betrayal, anger and a lot of other things. I don’t really know how to cope, but I’m getting there, I think. I’m getting better now that I have people who actually love me and aren’t using me.” Harry spoke all of that whilst staring into the fire in the fireplace, not noticing the sadness in Draco’s eyes as the blonde boy stared at his new friend sadly.

“You should speak to them, you know. Talking helps. And I’m sure you won’t lose them by telling them you love them, or by calling them by what you want to call them. When Severus arrived at the Manor today I had never seen him so happy. Before there was always something holding him back from being truly happy, but now he is, and I know it is because of you. I don’t think anything you do could make him any less happy. Especially if you tell him you love him, or call him ‘dad’.” Draco said softly. Harry looked at him, smiling a small smile.

“I know that. I know all of that. But I… I just can’t.”

“Okay. But, if you want to talk to someone, you can talk to me. Until you’re ready to talk to them that is.”

“So, how has your holidays been so far?” Harry asked Draco, smiling brightly as he changed the subject.

They spent a good few hours discussing school, Quidditch, and other things. None of them mentioning Harry’s past, or their old rivalry. Severus found them just before dinner was due to start, laughing and joking with each other. He smiled at them from the doorway before walking over to them.

“Draco, you are welcome to join us for dinner if you wish. Your parents gave their permission for you to be here. But you have to go home straight after.” Severus told his godson gently, smiling at both boys.

“Okay, Uncle Sev.” Draco replied, smiling brightly at him.

The three headed to the family dining room where Tom was waiting for them. As they ate they talked about a lot of different things, and laughed a fair few times as well. After the meal Draco said goodbye to Harry, surprising the boy by hugging him and promising to write, then Severus lead him back to the fireplace.

…

That night Harry had a particularly bad nightmare about one of his uncle’s most viscious beatings, mixed with Dumbledore torturing the four Weasley’s that still cared as well as Draco.

When he was woken by his father and grandfather he couldn’t help but calling them what he had desperately wanted to call them for the last few days.

“Daddy, grandpa!” He whimpered before the sobs tore through his body.

He was soon wrapped in the arms of both men, hearing their comforting words in his ears as they rubbed his back or ran their fingers through his hair. They told him over and over that they loved him, that is was all going to be okay, that they were there for him and always would be. And it just made him cry harder, because someone actually cared about him, loved him.

For once in his life he had a true family. And he didn’t want them to go away.


	6. A Father Takes His Son Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Contains some bashing of Molly Weasley and Albus Dumbledore. Also contains some emotional stuff, but not too much. Enjoy!

After his nightmare Harry panicked about not having his invisibility cloak, broom, and the Marauders map. His father sent a House Elf to collect all of his belongings from the Dursleys, kicking himself internally for not getting any of it before, before going back to comforting his scared son.

“It’s okay, child, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise. I love you, Harry.” He repeats similar things over and over again, as does his father.

Soon Harry calms down and falls asleep, still clinging to both of them. The two men decided to stay with him for the rest of the night, knowing that Harry wouldn’t let go of them until the morning, and wanting to make sure that he was okay, and that he didn’t have any more nightmares like the one he had just had.

Tom falls asleep relatively easily, Severus, however, stays awake for a while longer. He watches his son sleep next to him and thinks about how things could have been had Lily not been taken. He would have been able to raise his son; hear his first word, watch him take his first step, teach him about the world, spoil him, love him. Him and Lily could have had more children.

Eventually Severus fell asleep, dreaming of the life that could have been but was stolen from them by the man who was going to pay for all of the pain he had put them and more people through.

…

When Harry woke up the next morning he realised that his father and grandfather were sleeping on either side of him. He smiled slightly as he remembered last night. He wasn’t smiling about the nightmare. He was smiling because he had finally been able to call these two men what he had wanted to call them for the last week. And they comforted him and loved him in a way that no one had before.

He felt the men start to move beside him and started getting nervous.

“Good morning, Harry. How are you feeling this morning?” His father asked him.

“Better. Sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to wake you both up.” He apologised.

“Harry, we don’t mind. We are here to help you, and if that means waking up in the middle of the night to care for you and comfort you when you have a nightmare, we are more than happy to do so.” Tom told his grandson, Severus nodded in agreement, smiling gently at the fourteen year old.

“Let’s go downstairs, have some breakfast, and then we can get readdy and go shopping. You need some clothes, and things to entertain you, whatever you want. We can also get your school things, since I know what you’ll need.” Severus said with a smile on his face.

“O-Okay.” Harry stuttered, smiling slightly.

The three of them got out of the bed and walked together towards the family dining room. As they ate their breakfasts they talked about school, what Harry’s favourite subjects were, what he enjoyed learning about and what he wanted to learn. When they were done they all headed to their separate bedrooms to get ready for the day.

Harry was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black long-sleeved top, with a dark grey hooded jacket and some black trainers that his father transfigured for him when he met his father and grandfather in the front hall of the Manor, both of whom were wearing muggle clothes; Severus wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt and a black leather jacket, and Tom in black jeans and a dark grey sweatshirt. Severus and Tom also wore glamour charms so that they weren’t too recognisable; instead of black, Severus’ hair was now dark brown, Tom’s was also dark brown, but his eyes were green.

“I just have to place a glamour charm on you, then we can go.” Severus told his son, who nodded in agreement.

Soon Harry’s hair was flat, dark brown in colour, his eyes were black and his scar was gone. Severus transfigured his glasses so that they were square, not round, and they used the floo to get to The Leaky Cauldron.

They went to the muggle part of London first to buy Harry some muggle clothes, shoes, books, etc. using the card that Severus had linked to his Gringotts vaults. A few times Harry was worried about the amount of money they were spending on him, especially since they brought a lot of clothes and quite a few pairs of expensive shoes, but Severus informed him that he had plenty of money saved up from his wages as a teacher, as well as the other things he had done, such as create and sell potions, and he got paid to help out at St Mungo’s when they needed him to. He told Harry that he also inherited the Prince estate from his mothers’ father and that also came with a lot of money, and kept making more money from the companies he was investing in, and the family vaults were also connected to the card he used.

Harry still worried, but he let them spoil him, especially after they mentioned not being able to spoil him for fourteen years and wanting to make up for it. He thanked them more than necessary, though. Tom used his card linked to his own, the Gaunt family, the Slytherin family, and the Peverell family vaults to buy him things. Tom explained to Harry that before he took over the Gaunt family Lordship the vaults barely had enough money to get him through his remaining years at Hogwarts in it, but due to some careful investing on Tom’s part they now held a fair amount of money in them and continued to grow. The other family vaults had a lot in, though, so he survived whilst making the investments.

The two grown men told Harry they would help him when it came time to receive his own Lordships since he would be the Lord to the Potter family, and the Black family if Sirius didn’t have an heir of his own as he was currently listed as heir until Sirius had a child. He would also take over their Lordships eventually, and they believed his mother wasn’t a muggle-born since she had Seer blood in her, so there may be more Lordships for him.

Harry was overwhelmed with information by the time that they reached The Leaky Cauldron again for a lunch break. Severus called Pinky to take their bags home once they sat in a booth at the back of the Pub.

“What would you like to eat, Harry?” Severus asked after they had spent a minute looking over the menu.

“Could I have the chicken salad sandwich with chips, please?” He asked timidly.

Severus smiled at him, “Of course. Would you like a Butterbeer with it?”

“Yes, please.” Harry smiled back.

Severus nodded to him and asked Tom what he wanted. When he had everyone’s orders Severus headed to the bar to place them and get their drinks.

“So, are you having a good day, Harry?” Tom asked.

“Yes, thank you. But you don’t have to spend that much money on me.”

“We know we don’t have to, but we want to. We have missed out on fourteen years of your life during which we could have spoiled you, so we are going to spoil you now, to make up for the times we missed. And everyone who has ever hurt you will pay for hurting you, and Dumbledore is going to pay for taking your mother and yourself away from us. I know you don’t like the thought of having to pretend to be someone you’re not this year, and pretend to be friends with those that betrayed you, but it is only for another year. When you come into your inheritance you can be your self. However, your father and I still expect you to try your hardest in your lessons this year. I want you to defy them in the best way possible, by showing them who is really the top of the class. This last week you have really shown how intelligent you are, I want you to show them that as well.”

“I will.” That was when Severus returned with their drinks. Harry savoured his first sip of the Butterbeer before thanking his father. Harry looked around at the people in the pub.

In one corner there was a male couple, one of whom looked to be heavily pregnant. They were curled together in the booth, both had a hand each on the bump of the pregnant man, both smiling and laughing, talking and joking. Obviously they were very in love.

He found himself excited for the time where that would be him and his mate, sitting together in an embrace, their intertwined on his pregnant belly as they felt their unborn child move and kick. Happy.

“Harry.” Severus called to his son, startling the boy out of his thoughts. Harry turned to look at his father, blushing slightly as he apologised. “It’s fine. Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”

“What about? You were very deep in thought. We called you a few times to tell you that the food was here.” Tom asked curiously.

“Just the future.” He replied before eating a chip from his plate. “I… I don’t know what job I want yet, but I do know that I want a family. That is all I ever wanted. And now I have received some of that family in the two of you, and the four Weasleys I can trust, and with Sirius and Remus. But knowing that I am able to have kids, despite my sexuality, is possibly the best news I have ever received. I mean, as a kid I kind of gave up on the idea of a parent or some other relative coming to save me, and I love you both more than anything, and I can’t thank you enough for all that you have done for me in the time we’ve been together. And it’s amazing having a parent and grandparent that loves you and cares for you. But, at the same time, I’ve always been so alone, so independent, that despite the fact that I love you both and I don’t want to lose either of you, I gave up on the dream of having a parent out there who would love me and care for me a long time ago, part of me didn’t need them because I could do everything for myself. And now that I have you I realise that I do need you, I always will need you. But after giving up on that dream the thing I wanted the most in the World was a family of my own; a husband and a small army of kids, although I figured they would be adopted and that didn’t really bother me despite the fact that I would have loved some biological children. But I wanted a husband and kids who would love me unconditionally more than anything, I still do. And knowing that I will be able to bear my own children is the best news I will probably ever receive because it is the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world, children who were actually related to me and would love me no matter what. That way I would know that someone related to me actually cared if I lived or died, or cared about what was going on in my life. And I had already given up my dream of a parent coming and doing that for me, a child of my own was the next best thing. But I love you both so much, and I don’t want to lose you.” Harry said, looking down at his plate the entire time as tears filled his eyes and one, lone tear escaped.

Severus stood from his seat opposite Harry and moved to sit next to his son, wrapping his arms around the small boy and pulling him close.

“I’m here now, Harry, and I’m not going anywhere. I am here for you, and I will love you. Always. We both love you so much, and we are both going to care for you until the day we die, which will hopefully be a long time in the future. And one day you will have a mate, who will become your husband. You will have whatever you want for your wedding. Then you will have your small army of children. You will have the family you always wanted. I promise.” Severus whispered to him comfortingly.

“Thank you.” Harry muttered in reply as he wiped the few tears off his face.

“Now, let’s eat and finish our shopping so we can go home.” Severus suggested.

Harry nodded and started eating his food again. They all ate, talking about small things as they did so.

When they were finished they went into Diagon Alley. First they went to Madam Malkins to get Harry’s uniform for the year, some casual robes, and some dress robes for the Yule Ball that would be taking place at Hogwarts that year. They then went to Flourish and Blotts to get Harry’s school books for the year, along with the Arithmancy and Ancient Runes ones for the year, and some extras as well. Then they got him a new trunk that used a password so only himself could enter it, it also had five compartments so that he could store books in one, clothes in another, and so on. They then got him a wand holster for his forearm, some parchment, quills and ink, his potions ingredients, and some extras. Severus got him a potions journal as well so that he could write his ideas for new potions, or for adaptations of others, wanting to encourage his sons’ potion making. They took Harry to Quality Quidditch Supplies to get a new broom maintenance kit and some more Quidditch gloves. They also brought some more owl treats for Hedwig.

When they had finished their shopping they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron so that they could floo back to the Manor. However, when they entered the Pub they saw Dumbledore sitting at a table talking to Molly Weasley.

They looked at each other and nodded, deciding to sit at a table near the couple and Tom put up a charm so that the three of them could eavesdrop on the conversation without anyone else hearing it or the two talking noticing that they are listening.

“What do you mean, Albus? Harry can’t be missing. The twins told us that he told them that he was going on holiday with the Dursleys and couldn’t make it to the World Cup.” Molly said.

“Well, he obviously lied to the twins. Because the Dursleys are still at Privet Drive, and Harry isn’t with them. All of his things have gone too. We have to find him. We can’t have him finding out the truth. And he will find out the truth if he is able to go to Gringotts on his own and one of the Goblins decide to speak to him about why he hasn’t been answering his mail from them. We also can’t have him learning too much. He needs to remain as ignorant as possible so that I can get the fake Voldemort to kill him so that I can be seen as the hero after killing the fake Voldemort, then everyone will listen to me because I will be the hero. We also need to make sure he marries Ginny and gets her pregnant so your family can get his money when I kill him. But also so that I can use his child against him if all else fails.” Albus said eagerly.

“I know, Albus. But how are we supposed to find him? He could be anywhere.”

“I’m thinking we could send him a letter asking him to come to the Burrow, and put a compulsion charm on it so he will come. Then we can dose him with some potions, but most particularly the love potion keyes to Ginny. The sooner they marry the better. I know they are both young but we need this marriage to happen before he finds someone else or becomes more independent. I was thinking the week before Harry’s fifth year of school would be a good time for the wedding.”

“Yes, it would be a good time. Is everything set for the Tournament?”

“Yes. I will put Harry’s name in the Goblet and he will have to compete, and because I keep him away from all books he won’t know that there are ways out of the Tournament. The first task will involve getting a golden egg from a nesting mother dragons’ clutch. I will have it rigged so that Harry will get the Hungarian Horntail. The second task is to collect the person they would miss most from the bottom of the Black Lake where there are merpeople and grindylows. The third task is the maze which will have various obstacles in it. When Harry gets to the cup first he will be transported to a graveyard and the fake Voldemort will be ressurected, they will fight, but Harry will escape after some torturing. It should be good fun. Let’s hope Harry asks Ginny to the Ball.” Albus looks at his pocketwatch and grins. “The attack at the World Cup should be happening now, so your family should be back soon. You should get home and prepare for them.”

“Yes. Good evening, Albus.”

“Good evening, my dear.”

The couple parts ways and Tom drops the eavesdropping charm.

“Let’s go home.” Tom suggested.

The other two nodded and the stood, heading to the floo and travelling home.


	7. A Family Makes a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus, Tom and Harry make a plan after hearing the conversation between Albus and Molly.

The three men were sat in the library of the Manor, trying to think of a plan, although they were currently just sitting in silence as they thought to themselves about what they had overheard and how they could get around it.

“Harry, it’s up to you whether or not you want to be a Champion or not. We will train you if you decide you want to, if not we can find a way to get you out. It’s up to you.” Severus said.

“Well, we can’t have Dumbles know that I know everything. However, we should probably go to Gringotts and sort out my accounts, get my money back etcetera. So, as much as I don’t want to be in the Tournament, I probably should so that he isn’t too suspicious. We could ask the Goblins to recall the money and objects, with interest, and when Dumbles goes asking why he no longer has the money, to tell him that there were discrepencies with another account so they decided to do an audit on all of the other accounts, so as to make him not suspicious. And when they saw that the Goblin in charge of my accounts gave him money despite him not legally being my magical guardian, or any guardian considering I lived with the Dursleys and not him, they changed the Goblin in charge of my accounts and recalled all money and objects taken, with interest. You can train me for the Tournament, I can spend my spare time building a following, I’m not going to pretend to be friends with Granger and the two youngest Weasleys, I will ignore them. I can’t spend a year pretending to be friends with people who have betrayed me. If they ask why I am ignoring them, I will just tell them that I overheard them talking about not actually wanting to be my friend and I want to be myself without them holding me back.

“During the final task dad can change where the cup will take me so it can bring me to you, grandpa. Then we can send a golem back, one that looks like a dead version of me, or give me the draught of living death and send me back, perhaps with a note pinned to me telling everyone that Voldemort is back to bring fear to people, and Dumbles will make it worse by sending his Death Eaters out for raids and torturing people. We can collect evidence that it is Dumbles doing these things. Grandpa, if you haven’t already you can take on the Lordships of the Slytherin, Gaunt and Peverell Houses. Then join the Wizengamot and Board of Governors, get people to like you and join your cause. Dad could take up the Lordship for the House of Prince and any other House he might be Heir to, and also join the Wizengamot and Board of Governors, or proxy his seats to you. I could also proxy my seats to you, then you could have enough seats to become Chief Warlock. If we all give our seats to the Dark faction then the Dark would have more allies and, we could change people’s opinions. Since Dumbles has been using my seats illegally we can say that any vote he cast whilst holding those seats are null and void, meaning going back over those laws passed and not passed and voting again, hopefully we can change some, like the anti-werewolf legislation. Take Dumbles’ power from him, slowly make people see that he was wrong. When I come into my inheritance I will be able to go back to Hogwarts under a different name, get re-sorted, etcetera. But my friends will know it is me. Dad can say I’m his godson, whom he blood adopted after my parents died recently. And we can continue taking Dumbles’ power from him, and eventually, when we’re ready, we will reveal the truth, just as he and his followers are going to be punished. That way they will find out the hard way what their actions have caused.” Harry explained with a grin on his face.

“That’s a good plan.” Tom started, “However, what happens if it goes wrong?”

“Then we figure something out. I don’t want to be in the Tournament, but we can’t have Dumbledore know that I know the truth, like mum said in her letter. When I get my inheritance we can start releasing the truth about Dumbles, slowly, get more people on our side. Ruin his reputation. We can go to Gringotts tomorrow, I will make up a will, as Harry Potter, when I come into my inheritance we can have a different name for me. I can leave everything to my new name, and dad, I want you to name me. If things go wrong then we’ll think of something, but either way, Dumbledore is going to appear to people as the bad guy. We will have a lot of people behind us, including my friends, and your friends, the teachers, Sirius, Remus, the Aurors. We just need to increase our power and decrease his, subtly of course, that way things are less likely to go wrong. I have just had enough of my life being dictated for me, of Dumbledore and those traitors using me. I hate my fame, I don’t want it anymore, so I will ‘die’ at the end of this year, and I will hide here until after my inheritance. Then I will probably look a lot different, no one will recognise me. And I can be myself whilst helping to bring down Dumbledore. And I know mum said I should, but I can’t go on pretending to be friends with those that I thought cared about me. I can’t pretend that they haven’t hurt me.” Harry said as tears welled in his eyes.

Severus moved to sit next to his son and wrapped his arms around the small boy who was hurting. Harry started sobbing into Severus’ shirt, clinging to it in his desperate need for comfort. Comfort which was still relatively new to him.

“It’s okay, Harry, you don’t have to pretend if you don’t want to. Just stick with your real friends. And I’ll make sure that Ronald, Hermione and everyone else in on the plan stay away from you. If they even think about hurting you then they’ll have me to answer to. In private of course, because no one will believe them if they told the truth anyway. And if that is the plan that you want to stick to then we will stick to it as best as we can. I will send a copy of my memory of the conversation to Amelia Bones, Rita Skeeter, and the Goblins, but I will ask them not to use it yet, not until we need them, too. That way we have something ready for next year, or for if the plan fails. We will be here for you, every step of the way, to help you with whatever you need help with. If you need somewhere to hide from those that are pretending to be your friends, come to our quarters, or go to the Room of Requirement. I am nearly done with the potions to free everyone from the Imperius Curse, then we’ll have them helping us as well. And we can help you find people for your group, and all of them will help you also. You have a lot of people that are and will be on your side, Harry. You aren’t alone anymore, and all of us are going to be here for you whenever you need us, whatever you need us for. And we aren’t going to leave you for a long, long time. I promise. I love you, my son, and I always will.” Severus whispered to his son in a calm, comforting voice.

“I love you, too, Daddy.” Harry whispered childishly, but he didn’t care. He had missed out on fourteen years with this man, he could call him ‘Daddy’ if he wanted to.

Severus smiled slightly and placed a gentle kiss on his sons’ head, running his fingers through the black, messy locks of hair.

“Everything will be alright in the end, child.” Tom said as he walked over to the pair and started rubbing Harry’s back in gentle circles. “I love you, Harry. Always. And I will always be here for you, whenever you need me, no matter what you need me for.”

“I love you, too, Grandpa.” Harry replied quietly as he grabbed hold of Tom’s spare hand and clutched it to his chest, relishing in the comfort that he was receiving from the men.

The three of them sat in silence for a while, the two men comforting Harry, and Harry relishing in this concept that only recently became a part of his life. But it would be a part that he would always cherish, especially after spending thirteen years without comfort, and with those years being the majority of his childhood he wanted to take some time to feel like the child he still was, and he wanted to cherish the things that he had never had before; the love, the comfort, the happiness.

Harry just hoped that his plan worked, then they would all be safe again. They could all be happy without the fear of Dumbledore tearing them apart again, without the fear of Dumbledore ruining the Wizarding World that had become home to all of them with all of his schemes.

He hoped that everything really would be alright in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I am sorry for the wait but I have been real busy with work and family things; haven't had much time to write. I would also like to thank all of you that commented ideas, they were all really good and I thought I would incorporate some of those to thank you for taking the time to read my work. But, whether the plan will work out or not will be seen in a later chapter, so if you want to know how it goes then keep reading :) hope you are all well!


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